Wake County Open Space Program Earns National Honor

1/10/2007

Wake County was announced today as one of six winners of the second annual County Leadership in Conservation Awards, sponsored by The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and National Association of Counties (NACo). Wake County Commissioners’ Chair Tony Gurley accepted the award on behalf of the County at the annual NACo Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

The awards recognize leadership, innovation, and excellence in local land conservation and park creation by county leaders across America. The County was honored for its Open Space Program, which, since 2000, has preserved 3,200 acres of open space.

“Wake County citizens favor maintaining a high quality of life even as we grow,” Gurley said. “We are proud that our citizens, towns and businesses agree on the value of preserving open space, greenways and watershed areas. Our community has shown its support of open space through cooperative planning, public bond financing, private sales and donations, and a passionate advocacy. This cooperation has resulted in preservation of 3,200 acres to date, with more planned in the future to keep Wake County a great place to live.”

In recent years, spurred by the news that the County is losing 27 acres of open space per day to development, Wake County voters have overwhelmingly supported bond referenda for open space. In 2000, 78 percent of Wake County voters authorized $15 million in general obligation bonds to launch the county’s Open Space Program. Four years later, voters approved an additional $26 million in bonds, toward the ultimate goal of preserving 30 percent, or 165,000 acres, of the county’s land as open space.

Wake County has partnered with nonprofit organizations and municipalities to acquire 3,200 acres of forests, wetlands and greenways. County staff have worked with all 12 municipalities to create a countywide Consolidated Open Space Plan, the first of its kind in North Carolina. The County also has leveraged its dollars with substantial funding from state and federal agencies, foundations and municipalities. While the actual purchase price of the protected land is $38.5 million, the county has only spent $21.8 million.

Joining Wake County as award winners were Los Angeles County, Calif.; Volusia County, Fla.; Carroll County, Md.; Santa Fe County, N.M.; and Calvert County, Md. In addition to the awards recognition, each county will receive a travel scholarship to promote countywide land conservation programs as an effective solution to thoughtful regional growth issues.

“As America grows counties will be tasked with ensuring thoughtful growth,” said TPL President Will Rogers. “The Trust for Public Land’s partnership with counties—and with the National Association of Counties in particular—shows how creating parks and conserving open space are at the heart of making communities great places to live, work and play.”

Highlights of the five other winning county conservation programs, and additional information about the County Leadership in Conservation Awards in general can be accessed on the Web at www.tpl.org/awards or www.naco.org/conservationawards or by calling (617) 367-6200, ext. 303.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 1.9 million acres in 46 states. TPL depends on the support of individuals, foundations and corporations.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a full-service organization that provides legislative, research, technical and public affairs assistance to county governments. Created in 1935, NACo continues to ensure that the nation’s 3,066 counties are heard and understood in the White House and Congress.

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